


Cobalt Ruin, Ashen Dream

by AlchemistNine



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Felileth Week, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:22:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25383763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlchemistNine/pseuds/AlchemistNine
Summary: Felix Fraldarius wasn’t the kind of guy who’d chase a butterfly across dunes with valleys the size of Sylvain’s idiocy; and yet there he was, maniacally shifting gears and pressing on the gas, going wherever that butterfly was taking him.As always, it began with the nagging voice in his head. And yet, when Felix came across a soaking wet, shivering ashen blonde woman in a dress sitting by a bonfire, he knew he was meant to be there.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth
Kudos: 5





	Cobalt Ruin, Ashen Dream

Things Felix Fraldarius wasn’t expecting to happen when he woke up that day #1: chasing a butterfly by car, going up and down on crumbling dunes of finicky sand.

Except it wasn’t just a butterfly. It glowed a watery green, leaving a faint but distinct trail in the air, and it was quickly and decisively heading somewhere. To Felix, who had barely noticed butterflies before, much less followed them, this was an oddity; something to investigate.

He changed the radio station from blabbering hosts to a decent heavy metal song. Today was a promising day: he’d woke up in a good mood, did his usual morning routine, went for a barefoot run at the beach at a time the sun was barely settling, spilling soft pastel peach and blue tones into the pale grains of sand. It was when he’d finished tying his shoelaces inside the car that that butterfly had almost hit his windshield and sped off.

Where was that butterfly going anyway? He’d traverse a good portion of the beach by now.

“Why am I doing this again?” he groaned out loud, changing gears to accommodate another ascent. 

“Don’t act like you didn’t want to. It was your call,” replied the nagging voice in his head.

“I have other things to do,” he carried on. “There are places I have to be. Stuff I have to do.”

“The gym, really? Again?” The voice shrieked. “You’re there every single day, sometimes more than once. Can’t you skip it once in your life? Oh shush, go on, you’re getting behind!”

He sighed. His car was doing its best, but it was by no means an all-terrain jeep, equipped to fully deal with the harsh demands of this environment. It was his only car too at the moment and he shuddered at the thought of having to explain to Sylvain he’d totaled it because he’d been chasing a butterfly.

The sands wavered under the wheels. They were too off the road now, and when Felix started becoming truly concerned, the butterfly slowed down. He stopped the car and leapt out.

“Pursuing on foot,” he groaned to himself, braving the sand with his sports shoes; not the best idea, but it would suffice. 

The butterfly twirled and somersaulted. Its wings, although not big, were detailed enough to garner attention: a delicate filigree of intertwined gold and silver strings. It patiently led Felix up a particularly steep dune, hovering and swinging gracefully, until it dove down and disappeared, too fast for him to follow, seemingly fusing with the sand.

Felix stood there, picking up his breath with his hands on his thighs. Although slightly irked, he’d enjoyed the thrill of the chase. It made him feel like a young kid again, when life was simpler, devoid of intricacies and subterfuges. It was then he looked up and saw a column of wispy smoke rising in the morning sky.

His curiosity piqued again and, like a hunter who regained purpose, he set towards it. 

________________________________________

Things Felix Fraldarius wasn’t expecting to happen when he woke up that day #2: finding a girl sitting by a bonfire on a beach, her pale hands hovering and waving over the flames. She was drenched from head to bottom, the sand around her darkened with water soaked from her clothes.

He looked at her and she looked at him.

Felix couldn’t be entirely sure of what made him talk first - maybe it was the look on her face as she clinged to the fire, her hands willing it to work faster, to keep her warm. Autumn had comfortably settled in by then, so the mornings were not entirely pleasant. That morning, there was a harsh, piercing breeze, and the girl’s clothes were soaked to the point she was twisting her sleeves and water kept pouring out.

“Hey,” he greeted. “Are you alright?”

The girl seemingly kept trying to dry herself, but Felix noticed she was paying close attention to his every movement. He walked slowly towards her, his arms raised and visible.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he added with a tone he hoped was convincing. 

“Stop trying to scare that poor girl!” nagged the nagging voice. Felix promptly tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of embarrassment deep in his belly. He didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t even know if he was being helpful more than he was intruding or simply being a nuisance, which he truly despised.

The girl raised to her feet and her ashen blonde hair reached the middle of her back like a blanket, falling in waves to her shoulders in the front. She was wearing a dark dress with lace sleeves that almost touched the ground; embroidered on the skirt was a complex pattern of spirals and flowers that interconnected with each other. He could tell she was wearing a pair of black boots.

“I am alright,” she said. Her voice was low, but it didn’t tremble.

She didn’t look as if she wanted to say anything more, and was analyzing him back. For a split second, Felix shot a glance at the bonfire, approving of how the girl had gathered and placed a series of sturdy logs in a geometrical configuration that shielded the flames from extinguishing. It was a competent piece of work; she ought to have experience at camping.

“Nice fire,” he said, only to regret it as the sight of her, a girl soaked to the bones, suddenly left him wary. Why would someone go swim at such an early hour and while wearing clothes and boots at that?

His mouth slanted. Fancy clothes, water. Not a logical combination, unless there was an intent of saying goodbye.

He exhaled deeply.

“Look, I don’t know how you ended up here,” Felix said. “But I can help you if you want. Tell me how.”

She merely stared at him, and for all his strength he forced himself to look her in the eyes. Hers were green and warm and faced him respectfully, but with a determination that made him rethink his theory. They were not the eyes of someone who had gone into the ocean with the intent of forfeiting their life; they were assured, fierce and, dare he think, powerful. 

“Do you live nearby? Is there any place you’d like to be at now?” He tried again.

“No,” she answered, looking down into her fire. “I don’t know anything or anyone around here.”

Felix narrowed his gaze, directing it to the sea. He could call for someone else to take this girl, to see perhaps if she was on a missing person list or to find out if something had gone awry. But there was just no way he could leave this woman right now, not after having chased that damn butterfly for over ten miles.

“My car’s not far away,” he said, pointedly gazing at her right shoulder. “You can dry off at my house and then figure out your next course of action.”

She looked at him with her head at a slight angle like a curious owl; then, as if registering the second part of his plan, she nodded and approached him. 

“She trusts you,” chimed in his inner voice. “Don’t screw it up. We still don’t know what happened and, for all the calmness she shows, she could very well be scared shitless underneath, and traumatized.”

“Don’t I know that,” he retorted. “I wouldn’t tell her to come with me if I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. She needs someone.”

“How chivalrous of you.”

“Shut up.”

They reached his car shortly after and the girl stood, seemingly unsure of what to do. He had to open the door for her and gently signal for her to get inside. She sat down very slowly, her hands pressed together and in front of her chest. Felix slid to his seat and started the car; from the corner of his eye, he could see she was trying her very best to sit completely still and straight, but her head kept darting everywhere, from his backseat to the quarter glass; at that, she jumped in her seat and quickly composed her hair and sat even straighter.

“I apologize, I am wetting your vehicle,” she lamented.

“Don’t worry about that,” Felix dismissed it with a flick of his arm, his eyes never leaving the road. “So, what’s your name?”

“Byleth,” she answered, her voice no more than a warm murmur that reverberated all around Felix. “What is yours?”

“Felix,” he gave, and with that the pair settled for silently enjoying the ride to Felix’s house, even though there was so much more he wanted to know.

**Author's Note:**

> 18/07 - This is actually the first part of the first chapter I have planned out for this fic; I just wanted to upload now because today is day 7 of Felileth Week and I really really wanted to show my support in a not-totally belated fashion! There will be seven chapters total, one for each Felileth Week day, and each chapter will feature most (if not all) of the prompts for that assigned day. So expect this chapter to grow approximately double its actual size as I add to it and then we'll be off to chapter 2 for good!


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